Ten bartenders from Ferndale’s downtown district will compete in the “Art of the Cocktail” fundraiser event to create the city’s “official” cocktail Thursday night at the new M-Brew brewery and coffeehouse.

Participating bartenders will choose from a pantry of ingredients to craft their own cocktail, featuring a Valentine Distilling Co. spirit. People attending the event will taste each creation and vote for their favorite as the city’s official adult beverage.

In a news release, Ferndale Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Cristina Sheppard-Decius said the event is “a natural” for downtown Ferndale, which boasts numerous restaurants and bars in the Nine Mile Road-Woodward Avenue area.

“We are known for our nightlife, a reputation enhanced by every bar and venue in town, each with its own personality,” Sheppard-Decius said in the release.

Advertisement

The participants include:

• Shane “Bang” McGrath of the Oakland/Art Novelty Company, who was recently named by the Daily Meal as one of the top 25 bartenders in the country

• Nick Brancaleone, Valentine Distilling

• Adrienne Kowalak, Dino’s Lounge

• Kelsey Nuernberg, The Emory

• Mike Finsilver, Local Kitchen & Bar

• Michele Crimi, Danny’s Irish Pub

• Jade Cole, Howe’s Bayou

• Ryan Moore, Rosie O’Grady’s

• Brent Foster, Woodward Avenue Brewery

There also will be a silent auction offering unique opportunities including an appearance by a Ferndale fire truck, Friends Night Out at the Boston Tea Room and others. Appetizers will be served.

Tickets are $40 at Ferndale DDA, 149 W. Nine Mile Road, or with PayPal via downtownferndale.com. Proceeds will go for public art in the downtown. The fund has helped acquire pieces in the district such as the “Belier Rouge” at Livernois and West Nine Mile Road and “Time Waits for Know One” by Kevin Bower on the Woodward median at Marshall.

“Art of the Cocktail” will be held 6-10 p.m. Thursday at M-Brew, a new 6,500-square-foot spot opened by Dino’s Lounge owner Dean Bach, at 177 Vester St. For more information, visit downtownferndale.com or call 248-546-1632.